M.J. Rose: The Book of Lost Fragrances

As an avid reader, I always love an opportunity to receive a free book on the topic that interests me. Perfumes certainly qualify as a topic.Therefore, I was more than happy to receive an ARC of The Book of Lost Fragrances by M.J. Rose, especially as The Reincarnationist has been on my to-be-read pile for some time (it’s still there, I’m afraid).And speaking of reincarnation, even though I haven’t read any other books by MJ Rose, reincarnation seems to be a recurring theme.If I were to say my thoughts on the subject, it would probably be, I believe it’s possible but I can’t say I’m sure it’s real. Then again, most of the stuff I believe fall into the same category. 🙂

Onto the book itself.

I love the idea of a perfume that enables you to become aware of your past lives. I must say, I never before heard of memory tools out of the history that made that possible. I don’t know if that part of the book is real or invented.I just realized, I cannot put this book in a category. If I were to classify it, it would be a novel about a quest. Intentional and unintentional.Also, it’s obviously a novel by an author who put a lot of research into the perfume industry (every perfumista out there will recognize so many familiar problems, issues and notes). I’m still wondering about blue lotus…

I’m also wondering about so many things in this novel, did Napoleon really have such a delicate sense of smell, are perfumers sellling dreams and not formulas, are the Triads causing so much problems for the Tibet, or is it China itself, or is there a connection between the two (which strikes me as the most possible), is it possible to learn about your past lives, are tulpas real/possible, etc.

The book poses so many questions. At the same time, there are many wonderful ideas to be taken from it.Perfumers are artists (and Jac being the true manifestation and at the same time struggling with her genius), scents described in colors, all the things to see in Paris (I’m visiting L’Orangerie on my next trip), the whole reincarnation – Lama – Tibet angle, love (although I’m not terribly happy with the love scenes), the sorcerer of scent idea…

I won’t tell you the details of the story but I will tell you that if you order the book before March 1, you are eligible for a sample of perfume being released alongside the book (although only for residents of USA and Canada I’m afraid):

How does it work?

1. Just click on the preferred website and pre-order THE BOOK OF LOST FRAGRANCES from the links below.2. Email the receipt or a scan of it to LostFragrances@gmail.com along with your name and your Snail mail address for fragrance delivery.

Your sample of Âmes Sœurs will be shipped to you on or before March 13th. The book will arrive separately, from the store of your choice, at the same time so you can enjoy both together.

Btw, I completely forgot to mention the Âmes Sœurs angle – souls finding each other again and again through time, but then again, you won’t miss that angle once you start reading. 🙂 And speaking of that, it’s all left a bit hanging in the end – I realize the idea behind it but I think the perspective should have been explained better.All in all, a very interesting book to read.

*Offer ends March 1st, is limited numbers of supplies available and only to readers in the US and Canada.

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17 thoughts on “M.J. Rose: The Book of Lost Fragrances”

Thank you for your kind words, I so appreciate you reading the book. There is a glossary in the book and an authors note that explains some of your questions but perhaps in your version it was left out so I thought I'd answer them here.Did Napoleon really have such a delicate sense of smell – absolutely -all that is true.Are perfumers sellling dreams and not formulas? Yes, in marketing perfumes ad agencies are responsible for creating an image for the fragrance that speaks to the consumer.Are the Triads causing so much problems for the Tibet, or is it China itslef, or is there a connection between the two (which strikes me as the most possible)?Its harder to give you an answer about this because China and the Triads are so secretive. But China's attitude toward reincarnation, their rules, their handling of Tibet and Buddhism is all taken from fact.Is it possible to learn about your past lives, are tulpas real/possible, etc?Millions of people believe they can and do learn about their past lives. And many Tibetan monks do believe Tulpas are possible.

MJ Rose, thank you so much for stopping by and answering some of the questions I had. 🙂 I really appreciate that.My book did come with a glossary and the explanations in the end but I must admit of only glossing over it. I didn't mean to sound questioning about those themes, those are the things I find fascinating and wonder if it's ever going to be possible to get true answers to them. But that is probably what makes life more interesting – the possibilities. :)And what is said about China's laws in the book and well, the cruelty of some of their actions is what I am glad to be aware of – these things never truly get widely circulated in the media (at least I never got wind of them). Like I said in a comment to Tom Knox' review – it seems these days I learn more about the world we live in through the novels I read than from the news media. And I am very grateful for that.P.S. Now I'm looking forward to reading The Reincarnationist. 🙂

Thanks Natalie! 🙂 I didn't want to read any review prior to writing mine as not to get influenced.And I can't believe MJ Rose stopped by to answer questions – it was a lovely surprise for which I am very grateful. 🙂

I'm de-lurking to say how much I enjoyed your review of this book. Both this and The Reincarnationist are on my list to read! Let me recommend a book for you: Many Lives, Many Masters by Dr. Brian Weiss. It is a non-fiction account of a leading doctor's experience with reincarnation. Very well written and fast to read.

Hi Rappleya, I must say I'm very glad you decided to de-lurk. :)I'm always happy to see people reading (and commenting so I know they're reading) my book reviews. Especially as it seems to me they are usually about how I feel about the book and not what is the book about.And thank you very much for the recommendation, I would really like to learn more about the subject.When I was younger, I read several authors dealing with the subject of faith and reincarnation, among others one from this area, B.D. Benedikt who believes in reincarnation. And wrote an interesting novel on the subject but I'm not sure it was translated into English.Somehow life led me from my path of investigation of spiritual life. 🙂 But I believe I'l never wander far and there will always be situations making me look that way. 🙂 So, thank you for the book recommendation one more time.

Ines,I've explored spirituality in its many forms for years and years. Such a fascinating and infinite subject! Feel free to email me at rappleyea11 at yahoo dot com if you'd like to chat about it.I forgot to mention – I'm surprised that they can use the name Ames Soeurs as Divine already has a scent named L'Ames Soeurs! Cheers,Donna

Rappleyea, I would love to chat about spirituality with you. 🙂 I miss conversations like that as I must say people around me aren't really interested in the subject or only approach it from a Catholic angle. Which tends to limit the topic. :)I don't want to promise anything as lately I barely have time to sleep (the work piles up both at work and privately) but I do hope I'll take you up on the suggestion soon. P.S. Good point about the name, I wasn't aware of that. But maybe Divine isn't as strict as Bond and didn't put any restrictions on the name…?

Thanks to yours and Natalie's reviews, my curiosity has been well and truly piqued now about this book – I love thrillers of all kinds, and a perfume-themed one sounds ideal! – but am woefully slow at reading so it might be a while before I get to this one.

Vanessa, I hope you'll like it (whenever you find the chance to read it).I must say, it's not a typical thriller, I found it has a bigger psychological impact than your usual thriller (at least it did for me).